Managing HR-related compliance risks is one of many critical roles performed by HR departments. Often, several mundane tasks associated with compliance management turn skilled HR personnel into manual labourers. The total cost of payroll is the sum of labour, outsourcing, system, overhead, and other costs involved with the maintenance of payroll records; the calculation of salaries, wages, and deductions; and the distribution of paycheques.
Now let’s take closer look at areas for improvement, that will allow your company to streamline the process, and at the same time, save money.
Make use of HR compliance HR operations, including payroll, time and attendance and recruitment that typically requires attention to compliance management-include a range of manual tasks and procedures that are accepted as part of the process. However, those inefficiencies of these operations are often accepted as a cost of doing business. But many processes can potentially introduce avoidable errors and compliance risk that go beyond the cost of inefficiency.
Think of the Big Picture Routine, high-volume tasks like time and attendance and payroll processing would be well served, when these tasks are automated. For example, ATS Human Capital Management (HCM) flexible inherent rules-based solution can reduce errors and exceptions while significantly lowering costs.
Focus on a Return on Investment (ROI) If HR is spending an inordinate amount of time on tracking shift differentials, labour allocation and host of other manual tasks-that’s not the best use of the HR department’s time. If the goal is to obtain HR compliance, then the decision to automate can become a relatively straight-forward decision based on the return on investment from labour savings alone.
Bottomline: ATS HCM gives you a proven solution to process payroll, schedule and track employee hours worked, including paid time off. You can satisfy wage and hour reporting requirements quickly and easily by being able to better operate in an increasingly demanding regulatory environment and accommodate a global workforce.
As proponents of artificial intelligence (AI), at ATS, we see how the technology can transform (when used the way its intended) HR departments and not to make them redundant. Essentially, many HR and other c-Suite executives already use the technology in some form or another, in their personal lives; whether it’s Siri, Alexa, or Cortana or a range of others on AI-based devices. In the workplace, AI is evolving into an intelligent assistant to help us work smarter. The technology also offers the potential to revolutionize key HR responsibilities, such as human capital management (HCM), talent management, benefits accruals, absence management, employee self-service, performance evaluation and onboarding for HR professionals.
A recent Gartner worldwide artificial intelligence forecast suggest that a whopping $62.5 billon in revenue is expected in 2022. And, a recently published article, by The HR Director, outlined 3 important ways that AI is being used in the world of talent management. They include:
“Sourcing-AI is used to find and connect with talent more quickly, with the overall results of the sourcing being of better quality than before.
Screening-with the help of AI screening tools, deriving important information is more efficient than ever – instead of going through and opening each and every resume, the tools will give you needed results in minutes.
Interviewing –AI can be used for analyzing facial expressions of candidates during video interviews, giving the employer a better look into their personality traits, as well as using chatbots or pre-recorded videos to be more precise with checking the skillsets of candidates.”
Bottomline: Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration into human capital (HCM) management and human resources (HR) applications will make organizations better because these applications can analyze, forecast, capture data and diagnose to help HR teams make better decisions. Today, more than eve, more organizations are turning to power of AI and machine learning to streamline costs and improve productivity.
To learn about ATS Machine learning and AI software solutions, go to our website. To reach an account executive by phone call: 866.294.2467
The topic of this blog suggests this is a herculean challenge that some companies are either unwilling to tackle, or simply don’t know how to hire a workforce that represents an ever-changing society. Some experts have suggested that such deep-seated unconscious biases, in a setting, where some like to hire and work with people who look and talk like them and who, have similar backgrounds and experiences is pervasive throughout the tech world. However, even with the best of intentions, hiring biases—raises red flags for qualified potential candidates who would rather work for companies who are diverse (in both words and actions) rather, than ones who may hire them as the token employee for diversity within their ranks.
“1. Make tech education accessible:Artificial intelligence systems are biased, and the technology usually follows the viewpoints of its creators. While society has changed considerably in the last half-century, corporations still have underlying biases (whether they realize them or not). It’s essential that we take active steps to reverse our biases so that we can prevent further biases from developing in artificial intelligence, and the best way to do this is to make the tech industry more accessible to a wider range of people.
Initiatives like Girls Who Code, AI4ALL and other educational programs make it possible for children to develop an interest in technology. To reduce bias and make the tech industry more diverse, leaders must invest in the education of young people so that they can develop an interest in the field and build the skills necessary to pursue a career. Tech companies should invest in a range of students early on, knowing that investments in education yield long-term results.
2. Hire and promote with diversity in mind: Despite numerous call-outs of major industry leaders, the tech world still lacks diversity. The Harvard Business Review reported that leading companies like Google have only crawled ahead toward more diversity among staff members. Even nearly seven years after tech companies started reporting diversity efforts, most leading tech organizations are failing — with minorities only making up single-digit percentages of the overall workforce.
3. Evaluate Data Sets: Bias is already in your data sets, and you shouldn’t ignore it. To counter biases, every AI technology developer should devote time to evaluating the data sets with which the system was created. This evaluation should take place at every stage of development, from the initial design to the final proofs.
The best way to evaluate AI for biases is to ask specific questions. The FTC provides guidelines to determine if artificial intelligence is on the right trajectory, and to clarify what is allowed (or prohibited) by law. Developers must question themselves and the technology they are creating. It is imperative that developers understand their own biases — especially the unconscious ones — and can evaluate their work for the same. Working to eliminate biases is not a linear process, as it will take multiple back-and-forth steps.
4. Regularly re-evaluate systems to detect bias: Rigorous evaluations can’t stop at data sets. Technology is growing and changing at such a rapid pace, and strategies, systems and even outcomes should be re-evaluated each step of the way. In order to reverse the biases already in artificial intelligence and prevent further biases from developing, companies must check their work over and over again.
5. Adjust and repeat the process: Technology has never developed linearly. The same applies to artificial intelligence: Data, processes, systems and even the bots themselves must be adjusted over time. The best avenue forward is to take a preventative approach. That means that these five steps to reduce bias in AI should be adjusted and repeated multiple times on any given system”.
Bottomline: Confirmation bias is the human tendency to process information by looking for — or interpreting information consistent with our own beliefs. Today, we know that confirmation bias affects technology development and when we allow our biases to distort what we think we know, it alienates qualified candidates, who could help make our companies grow.
About ATS
ATS offers a broad portfolio of time and attendance solutions that streamlines the collection, calculation, and reporting of employee hours for workforce management and eliminates the manual tasks of payroll preparation, increasing efficiency and reducing errors in corporate payroll departments.
Thousands of organizations across North, Central and South America and Europe- including more than half of the Fortune 500 – use ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Workforce Planning, Employee Scheduling HR and payroll solutions to manage their workforce. ATS cloud services offer rapid deployment, support services, software updates, and enhancements; and consulting and training services.
Can you work well under pressure? That’s an age-old question that has been asked by many HR and recruiting managers at job interviews. However,every job, in every industry, comes with its own pressure. And, when you add the current coronavirus to the mix its unlikely you will find any job today where employees are not experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety.
We changed the order of the list to reflect, what we see as the most important:
Take care of your health first: The secret to succeeding under pressure and scrutiny? Taking care of your physical and mental health. “The most organized person will crumble without sufficient sleep,” says Rachel Beider, CEO of PRESS Modern Massage. “Make sure you’re prioritizing a healthy lifestyle and habits to establish a strong foundation for success.”
Focus on one task at a time: Trying to tackle a huge project on a tight deadline is often a source of stress. Instead of looking at the total stress, Andrew Schrage, co-owner of Money Crashers Personal Finance, recommends focusing on each specific task you must complete before moving onto the next. “Forget about the overall result until you’re almost finished,” says Schrage. “And since you’ve probably had these moments before, think back to one or two where you particularly shined and use that for inspiration.”
Learn to ignore the negativity: A thick skin is a must when you’re facing professional scrutiny, says Angela Ruth, customer experience rep for Calendar. “You need to learn to ignore certain things like negative behaviors or comments because letting them impact you will only stop you from succeeding,” Ruth says. “Do not emotionally react to what others are trying to stir up. Keep focused on what you need to get done. You’ll succeed and shut them up in the process.”
Keep your eye on the prize: Tunnel vision is sometimes considered a bad thing, but it’s absolutely essential when you’re trying to get work done under pressure. “Stress and anxiety are often a result of thinking about the unknown in the future,” says Matthew Podolsky, managing attorney at Florida Law Advisers, P.A. “Remove this by moving one moment and one breath at a time. Keep your eyes on the prize regardless of how you feel or the pressure that surrounds you. Any attention paid to stress will be attention taken from the goal.”
Prioritize what’s important, not what’s urgent: We’ve all had to choose between “urgent” and “important” tasks on our to-do lists. According to Solomon Thimothy, co-founder and president of OneIMS, the “urgent” tasks shouldn’t consume you. It’s best to optimize your workflow and prioritize the important things on your list. “If you don’t want to spend the rest of your career fighting fires, take time to prevent them from happening in the future,” Thimothy adds.
Ask for help: When you’re feeling pressured to deliver results on a timeline, it helps to remember that there are others around you who can help, including your team. Piyush Jain, CEO of SIMpalm, says he is often able to get help from his team when needed, because he makes a point to help them too. “Planning your activities is important, but if you get support from team members, you can deliver more and do it efficiently,” says Jain.
Remember your past successes: One thing that works for Stephanie Wells, founder of Formidable Forms, when she’s stressed is reflecting on past successes. “When you feel stressed or under pressure, remember all that you’ve already overcome,” Wells says. “If you got through that, then surely you can get through and achieve anything.”
Treat it like a game: Working under extreme pressure can sometimes feel like life or death. Before he reaches this point, Zach Binder, co-founder and president of Bell + Ivy, stops to adjust his perspective and treats the pressure like a game. “I challenge myself to get through the time having as much fun as possible while doing it,” Binder explains. “If you can find the fun in the situation, all pressure will be gone.”
Bottomline: We all deal with pressure in our jobs and how we deal with it, will determine its outcome. To achieve a better outcome, we can either change our work environment or find a coping a mechanism that works for us.
About ATS ATS offers a broad portfolio of time and attendance solutions that streamlines the collection, calculation, and reporting of employee hours for workforce management and eliminates the manual tasks of payroll preparation, increasing efficiency and reducing errors in corporate payroll departments.
Thousands of organizations across North, Central and South America and Europe- including more than half of the Fortune 500 – use ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Workforce Planning, Employee Scheduling HR and payroll solutions to manage their workforce.
In addition, ATS provides modular analytic solutions that includes; workforce planning, benefits management, employee self-service, business intelligence, human resources, payroll, and advanced analytics based on a robust cloud computing platform for information and data needs. It also offers design, rapid deployment, support services, software updates, and enhancements; and consulting and training services.
No HR professional or company executive wants to hire the wrong person yet every company has done exactly that at one point or another. And if your company is a very successful one do you have time to use the proper metrics to help you avoid the costly mistake of a bad hire?
“If only I could clone myself.” Lauren Rivera, a researcher from Northwestern, told me via email, “what most people are looking for is ‘me.’” Her studies concluded that “interviewers who lacked systematic measures of what their company was looking for tended to fall back on themselves and defining merit in “their own image,” meaning that the most qualified interviewees were those who best resembled their interviewers.” It’s easy to want to make this kind of hire — a carbon copy of yourself. But they will be bored and frustrated quickly because there’s no headroom for them to grow and advance. You already have you and don’t need another you.
“If only I could find someone to do all the annoying stuff that I don’t want to do.” This impulse, while understandable, is an even more dangerous one. Sure, it is tempting to avoid the responsibilities you find tedious or challenging. But you’ll have trouble attracting talented people to a job that’s mostly boring work. If you want to off-load everything that you detest doing, mostly junk work, it’s likely you’ll disrespect the person you’ve hired to be your dumping ground (a sentiment they will be inclined to return).
“If only I knew how to do that.” There may be tasks that demand attention but you don’t personally have the expertise to complete them. You value this skill in other people, and it’s what you’re looking for in a new hire. But there can be a couple of pitfalls with thinking this way. Sometimes, there’s an undercurrent of envy — you may feel threatened because they have talents you lack. Or you may put them on a pedestal — we do this all the time when we say we want to hire a “unicorn” or a “ninja.” Either way, you risk overpaying financially — and emotionally. Not only that, if you don’t understand the work they are doing, you may not have a clear sense of what path this person needs to be on to maximize their talent and overall productivity.
Bottom-line-every company will or have had an occasional bad hire or two, the trick is to make sure it’s not a consistent pattern.
To learn more, register for one of our weekly webinars, or download brochures or a demonstration. And, to speak to a representative, call; 866.294.2468.
The practice of ghosting in the world of work equates to some recruiters leaving job candidates guessing whether they are going to be hired or not, because the recruiter, has decided its best to simply ignore the candidate’s emails or phone calls. In other words, the candidate will eventually get the message that the company is not interested in their services. Wow! Who would want to work for company like that?
Of course, this worked well for the companies that employed this practice, for several years, until, the workforce demographic started to change with millennials, turning the tables on some companies and started doing the ghosting themselves.
In Riia O’Donnell article, Are your applicants ghosting you? Written for HR Dive succinctly describes this phenomenon. It reads in part;
“Ghosting has come full-circle. Dozens of websites are devoted to the complaints of candidates who’ve been ghosted by employers — never receiving acknowledgement for their application, no callback after an interview, being left hanging for a hiring decision. And now employers are seeing the same actions (or non-actions) taken against them.
Recruiters who hire for almost every level of employee, from entry-level to management, are experiencing the phenomenon. It runs the gamut from applicants who never respond to initial calls; those who miss interview appointments; candidates who hem and haw over offers, promising to ‘get back to you soon’ with an answer; and those who simply vanish off the face of the earth, never reporting for their first day on the job.In relationship-speak, ghosting is clear: no response is the response. As the market tightens, with competition getting even more fierce, ghosting may be a new paradigm.
How common is ghosting? The phenomenon may be learned behavior from when employers would ghost candidates. It may be that some candidates and employees believe its acceptable business etiquette. In a recent piece, LinkedIn suggested ghosting may be partly due to inexperience. Younger workers who aren’t accustomed to multiple job offers may simply not know how to say no politely and professionally.
To save time, some recruiters are starting to act like doctors or airlines, LinkedIn said — double booking interview slots, particularly for entry-level openings, in anticipation that up to half the candidates will no show. Others recommend hiring managers remain in a continuous recruitment mode to adjust for those who will walk off the job without notice. This, of course, could lead to more candidates being held at bay, which of course could lead to them believing they’ve been ghosted: bad manners coming full circle.
At its core, ghosting is a lack of communication. To minimize the chances of it happening at your company, it’s important to communicate in a way that invites job seekers and employees to be forthright. If a candidate can’t make the interview or won’t accept the offer, a recruiter can let them know he or she understands, but that the company would appreciate the honesty and professionalism of an upfront word. Another tack may be to gently let candidates know they would be eliminated from consideration for any future openings if they failed to make the interview or accept an offer without notification.
Bottom line: Job hunting is hard work and recruiters and hiring professionals alike should do a better job of communicating with job seekers. And, job seekers are not innocent themselves, since some of also practice ghosting. In the end, no one wins when both sides engage in the practice of ghosting each other.
To learn more ATS, register for one of our weekly webinars, or download brochures or a pre-recorded demonstration. To speak to representative, call; 866.294.2468.
In today’s world of job hunting the old ways of finding a job no longer works. Of course, we are not referring to automatically getting to the front of the line and being offered a job without so much as an interview, if you know the right people.
Whether you are tepidly testing the job market for the first time or have been actively searching for the last several months, here are 5 tips for today’s job seekers, from a blog, written by Julianna Lopez for Business News Daily magazine.
“1. AI is changing the future of work This should come as no surprise, but AI and automation stand to make a huge impact in nearly every facet of the workforce, but most especially in human resources and finance.
Mobile job applications are getting a modern overhaul If you’ve applied for jobs recently, then you know that most application processes and tracking systems seem like relics from the Stone Age, which often make applying for jobs from mobile devices incredibly frustrating. Mobile apply is due for a serious and complete overhaul in 2018. Unfortunately, it will probably take a while for us to see the end results.
Healthcare, tech and labor-intensive roles will grow Job creation in 2018 is being driven not only by continuous tech innovations, which will also continue to expand into non-tech industries, but also by significant demographic shifts as well. Many traditional jobs that can’t be easily automated in the near future – such as restaurant waiters, construction workers, and truck drivers – will continue to grow and be a significant source for jobs.
The application and interview process will become increasingly transparent While workplaces have strived to increase transparency over the last couple of years, the online job application process remains clear as mud. In 2018, job seekers can expect increased visibility in the application process with real-time application status updates.
Employees will be encouraged to explore their passions through role experimentation
To help reduce turnover and better match proven talent with the most productive roles, more and more companies are looking to create ways to support employee aspirations outside vertical trajectories through role experimentation. This establishes clearer pathways for internal lateral job moves that tap into employees’ changing skills and passions”
Searching and applying for jobs is very different from even 5 years ago. The days of walking into an organization to hand in your resume, is as archaic, as using paper time sheets to track employees time. Most if not all job searches today, happens in an electronic format. If you use some of all of the 5 tips mentioned above, your chances of getting hired will increase exponentially.
Today’s HR managers are embracing automation, because they know it will help them improve workforce productivity reduce the amount of time it takes to process payroll, count employee hours, recruit and retain talent. Debating the benefits of business process automation is akin to asking, why do we need to use smartphones in this digital era?
In an article titled Why Automating HR Technology Is Key to Keeping Up Rick Goad presents a strong business case about the importance of HR automating its business processes. He writes in part;
“For years, HR technology was used to support and manage mundane back office paper processes and to ensure HR regulations and payroll laws were being met. More recently these platforms have shifted focus to better support talent acquisition and retention. A new generation of employees is entering the workforce with well-defined expectations of how they will interact with employers. HR technology is leading digital transformation in creating a new onboarding culture along with new ways to attract and engage talent.
How much easier would it be if you could automatically generate visual process diagrams, complete documentation, and materials for compliance and training? Automation can deliver these benefits in a fraction of the time we’re used to with manual or legacy approaches. Consider the impact of faster testing and better automation coverage. How could that speed projects, reduce production downtime, and give executives peace of mind knowing a multi-million-dollar technology package is going to work the way it’s expected?
With end-to-end automation, companies can be sure HR processes operate without disruption. This is true even when it comes to frequent changes in intricate approval chains, tax calculations, employee benefits, withholding classes, payroll and more. And, because these business processes are tested and can easily generate documentation, companies can verify they are meeting compliance requirements.
For example, accurate, effective payroll operations depend on end-to-end business processes executed across HR apps, and the other applications in a company’s landscape. Today’s technology can automatically capture these as-is business processes to provide visuals and documentation for insight and improvement. Captured processes are used to create an automated regression test library that can be continuously run to validate that mission-critical end-to-end processes are functioning as designed. This eliminates delays and mitigates the risks that come with packaged applications the business depends on.”
The larger question about HR and automation is no longer when is your company going to adopt it, but instead why haven’t you?
To learn about ATS HR Software and our complementary TimeWork OnDemand App go to our website. And, while you are there, you can also register for one of our bi-monthly webinars, download brochures or request a product demonstration.
To reach an account representative, call: 866.294.2467.
Seasoned HR executives will never attest to having a perfect hiring record. Why? Because no company has this record and if they claim that they do, they likely have a long nose.
Sharlyn Lauby is a highly regarded and well sought-after HR consultant and leads the HR bartender site. In one of her latest blogs what’s your Hiring Nightmare Story offers five tips that can be used by new and seasoned and HR managers alike.
Those five tips include:
Establish selection criteria. It’s so much easier to take a few moments on the front end to discuss selection criteria than to find out after a whole bunch of interviews that the hiring manager isn’t on the same page. When an opening occurs, buy your hiring manager a cup of coffee and discuss the KSAs for the job and a sourcing strategy.
Ask good interview questions. This applies to everyone in the process. Interviewing is hard. Managers who haven’t interviewed for a while might want a refresher (and they could be reluctant to ask for one). Have some pre-designed interview questions ready to help managers out.
Get multiple people involved. I believe it doesn’t help employees if the only two people they know on Day One is HR and their manager. Yes, more interviews take extra time but they also allow employees to start building relationships. Exactly what they need to be successful.
Don’t rush the process. The hiring process can’t drag along either. But I’ve seen plenty of managers speed up the process and make bad hiring decisions because they felt that they were racing the clock. Adding a couple of days to get the right candidate makes sense for all.
And conduct a comprehensive background screening. Once you find a great candidate, verify their background. Instead of thinking that background checks are to catch deception, consider it as confirming what’s already been discussed.
Those are all useful tips and while they are not perfect (nothing ever is) following them could help your hiring averages of candidates within your company. And, the best part is that these hiring tips are free of charge.
That’s a tough one to wrap around one’s head when a company says they are looking for the ‘right fit’? What’s the hidden meaning behind these words and will your company know the ‘right fit’ when you see it and if so, what does it represent? Some have argued that these words mean some companies are only interested in hiring candidates who attended the same schools or have the same circle of friends and/or associates as their current employees. If that’s the case, why not say so, on these job applications?
In her article, Hiring Fit vs. Hiring for Inclusion: Which Route Should You Take?
Lin Grensing-Pophal writes, “HR professionals are talking a lot about “hiring for fit,” and the concept seems sound. After all, to create and maintain a strong corporate culture, companies would seem well-served to ensure that new hires will fit into that culture. But is there a flip side to this commonly held wisdom? Could building a culture based on “fit” keep out those who are different in some way? Does it create equal employment opportunity risks? Are innovators being excluded? How can HR leaders help their companies find the right balance?”
The importance of preserving culture within an organization is at times, nothing more than a load of baloney. Progressive organizations are that the ones who are who are diverse in thought and people. The words ‘right fit’ are embraced by some companies, thereby limiting their own growth prospects simply to attract candidates who think like them.
In closing, Lin Grensing-Pophal’s article, in SHRM, contains 6 tips for companies who hire based on ‘fit’:
Hire from the broadest pool of applicants. Go beyond recruiting from the same education programs. Go beyond word-of-mouth hires.
Use neutral job descriptions focusing on the essential job requirements and the requisite merit, education and skills needed for each position.
Identify the company’s core values and how a person who is a strong cultural fit best represents these values.
Have a wide panel of interviewers from a variety of backgrounds interview job candidates.
Focus on what the individual will be able to bring to the company based on his or her experience and how that will advance the company’s goals, mission, sales and success.
Make inclusion a goal during the onboarding process.
Apex Time Solutions (ATS) is the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Thousands of organizations that spans Canada, South America, US and Europe— including Fortune 500® — companies use ATS TimeWork OnDemand to control payroll costs, minimize compliance risk, and improve workforce productivity.
To learn about ATS best-in-class time and attendance solutions, job costing, employee scheduling, forecasting, payroll and workforce analytics management go to www.atimesolutions.com
